Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green brought up Miami Heat superstar Jimmy Butler while praising the competitive nature of Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins.
Butler and Wiggins played together on the Minnesota Timberwolves for just over one season. Despite that short time together, it seems clear that Butler was impressed with the former top overall draft pick.
Green’s comments on Wiggins and Butler came amid the Warriors’ current Finals matchup with the Boston Celtics. On Monday night, the Warriors came away with a 104-94 victory in a pivotal Game 5.
Wiggins’ performance in that contest played a key role in helping the Warriors to get within one win of their fourth NBA title in eight years.
In about 43 minutes of action on Monday night, Wiggins delivered a double-double with 26 points and 13 rebounds. He also collected two assists and two steals and added a blocked shot to his outstanding box score.
Wiggins was traded to the Warriors in February of 2020 and has played a key role in helping the team become a title contender again.
During the 2021-22 regular season, Wiggins contributed 17.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game for the Warriors. Given Golden State’s prolific backcourt of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, delivering monster numbers isn’t a requirement for Wiggins, but that hasn’t stopped him from having some fantastic games.
Butler’s aggressive personality can undoubtedly get on the nerves of some people, but Wiggins’ approach is something that seemingly meshed well with Butler’s presence.
Since being drafted in 2011, Butler has been looking to win an NBA title. He fell short of that goal this season, but he very well may be rooting for Wiggins to pick up his first championship ring as early as Thursday night.